


The Curve of You Is Curved on Me

by pinklights



Series: buckynat cinematic universe [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: A Pocket of Time, Black Widow - Freeform, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I didn't expect this to happen, Kissing in the Rain, POV Natasha Romanov, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Soft Buckynat, The Winter Soldier - Freeform, buckynat - Freeform, domestic buckynat, i'm in my feelings, winterwidow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 19:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18998803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinklights/pseuds/pinklights
Summary: Natasha and Bucky have a day off after what feels like ages and they decide to spend it together. It's mostly a slow day, and Natasha's still not used to her Soldier and Bucky Barnes being one person, but she decides to let him settle in her heart anyway - he's been there before, after all.AKA just unabashed, endless domestic fluff.





	The Curve of You Is Curved on Me

**Author's Note:**

> This doesn't really follow any MCU timeline. I'm mostly ignoring anything that happened in Endgame because idk her.
> 
> Also, the title is from New York by Snow Patrol.

Natasha woke up with a slight jump. She tripped in her dream and landed into her consciousness a bit startled, but having a dream where she wasn't being detained or haunted by her victims was good enough for her.

She was about to relax back into bed when her hearing finally registered the light snoring from beside her. James was still sound asleep lying on his chest with his arm underneath his pillow. It was a disadvantageous position, she thought, he was vulnerable.

It was still a bit dark out but the glow from the streetlight that peered through the blinds was enough for her to see that he had his frown on. She wished she could take the permanent crease from his forehead away. His dreams were worse than hers. She pushed some of his hair away from his face and held her hand there on his cheek for a while, sighing before letting herself drift back to sleep.

When she woke up again a few hours later, James was gone. It was also raining. She could hear some music coming from the living room, the smell of something buttery filling the air. He was _cooking?_

She picked up one of his shirts from the chair in the corner where clothes were usually dumped and walked into the kitchen to find him busying away at something by the stove complete with an apron. The curtains were drawn to let the dull light in. Vulnerable, yet again, _exposed_. She was about to close them when he smiled at her. "Good morning."

"I didn't know you knew how to cook pancakes. Or cook, period."

He laughed a bit and continued on with the small stack of pancakes he was making. "There's lots'a things you don't know about me, Tasha." 

That much was obvious. They have only been reunited recently and between having to save the world and each other, there hasn't really been enough time to catch up. To slow down. Until now. 

Whatever it was that they did to him in Wakanda, it made him better, it made him remember. The first time they met again, he cornered her and asked if she remembered. Of course she did. That was _her_ punishment after all. They've kept it mostly casual since then, coming together during quick breaks, talking about the past when they were alone, taking time to relearn each other. No one else knew. That was their secret to keep. But she's seen Sam eyeing them when James decided to sit beside _her_ of all people and not his usual place beside Steve during a dinner at Tony's. 

The rain continued to pour outside, Natasha didn't mind. She liked the rain. She wasn't quite sure if she liked this version of her Soldier yet, the one merged with Bucky Barnes, but she found him interesting, intriguing even.

She hopped onto one of the stools on the other side of the counter and just watched him work in her kitchen, nothing but music between them. He looked okay, peaceful, _happy_ even. From where she sat, she could see where she'd left her mark at the base of his neck from last night - such a mark would have earned her a scolding back in the day, but they weren't in the Red Room anymore. She had to keep reminding herself. No one was going to kick down her door and drag him away this time.

Natasha only got pulled away from her thoughts when he brought her a plate of pancakes and some coffee to wash it all down. Whenever she and the Soldier stowed away during missions, they were quick, hurried. They'd steal kisses and moments of passions in the dark. Now they were having pancakes for breakfast. 

"It's not poisoned, I swear." James offered her a fork and a smile as he leaned onto his elbows on the counter opposite her. 

"Sorry," Natasha took the fork and took a tentative bite. It was good. Bucky Barnes knew what he was doing. 

She took another bite, bigger this time, and only then caught him staring. He had an idiotic grin plastered across his face and she quirked an eyebrow at him. "What?" 

"Do you still like the rain?" 

Natasha nodded, although surprised by the random question. She didn't think he'd remember tiny details like that, but with the way he made her squirm underneath his touch the night before, she realized that he remembered more than he let on. She expected for him to say something more, but it didn't come. He took a fork for himself and shared the stack of pancakes with her. The image of them taking their time with such a thing as breakfast while listening to tunes of decades past was something she was having a hard time wrapping her head around. Their trysts were never so casual, so carefree.

Natasha volunteered to wash the dishes after breakfast but James insisted that they do it together, so there they were, side by side in her tiny kitchen, her rinsing and him wiping. It was disgustingly domestic. She didn't know what she was feeling but she figured it was a sense of contentment. Happiness? _Maybe._

 

* * *

 

"Why does everyone hate Frodo? They're not the ones being possessed by an evil ring. His actions aren't his own." 

They were halfway through the second Lord of the Rings movie. James has managed to watch the first one with Steve and Sam before but never got to the other films. His head rested on a pillow on Natasha's lap, his body lying comfortably on her couch. She wasn't paying much attention to the movie, she's seen it more than once. Instead, she was watching him, her hands idly running through his hair every once in a while or tracing a line on his jaw. He didn't mind it, focused on the film instead. 

"Sam is a good friend but he doesn't understand Frodo." His commentary was wildly entertaining, she couldn't help but laugh. 

"What?" He turned his head so that he was facing her, her hands on his face. She could just jump into the pools in his eyes.

"You're _cute_ , milii moi."

James grinned and turned his head to kiss the inside of her hand before going back to his movie. 

It was well past lunchtime when they both decided that it was time to get out of the house, mostly because they were both hungry. After a quick lunch at a nearby diner, they headed to the grocery store. There was nothing in Natasha's fridge except for butter and eggs, ridiculously expensive bottled water, and a half eaten granola bar from god knows where. It was a miracle he found the ingredients to make pancakes in the morning.

Since the weather was gloomy, it gave James an excuse to wear gloves. He pushed the cart in the grocery store for Natasha as she picked out a few items. Bread, milk, chocolates - it was when she was picking out chips that she realized he'd been wide-eyed the whole time. 

"I grew up during the depression. This is ridiculous." 

"Says the man who just said that he grew up during the depression." She smirked and just got basic original Pringles. "Come on. We need to get back before it starts raining again." 

They picked up a bit of produce, meat and more snacks before leaving. The apartment was only two blocks away, not really a big deal, but they were halfway there when rain started pouring. They took shelter under an awning at a random cafe, Natasha couldn't help but laugh. He looked like a puppy with wet hair. 

"You know for a couple of assassins we could have at least considered taking an umbrella with us." He said, looking out at the rain. They were squeezed together, trying badly to stay out of the downpour. 

Natasha found herself staring at him again, still in awe at this man she was sure she knew. 

"What?" He asked for the second time that day when he caught her smiling. She didn't know  _what_ either, but she balanced the grocery bag she'd been carrying in one arm and reached up pull his face closer to hers to give him a kiss. His hand was on her waist instantly, both pulling her closer and supporting himself. They'd never done this before, kiss in public. They never allowed themselves. It was always too risky.

"Do you want to make a run for it?" Natasha suggested, a playful smile on her lips after pulling away from their kiss.

"You know I do."

 _God,_ she thought, maybe she  _did_ love him - despite time, despite space, despite everything that's happened. Somehow, holding his hand and running in the rain made more sense than anything she's been debating about with herself about him. He was still the man she knew from the Red Room, but he was Sergeant Bucky Barnes from the 107th too, and most of all he was the man who came out of all of that alive and in one piece. Maybe her fault was that she tried to separate all of these personalities when, in fact, he's been himself from the very start. Some aspects amplified, some hidden, but still _him._

 

* * *

 

It was dark out and they were under the sheets, clothes discarded hours earlier as they made their way to the bathroom for a hot bath after getting wet in the rain. The groceries were forgotten, dinner was going to have to wait. Natasha was lying half on top of him, fingers still tracing the little details of his face. His own fingers were drawing patterns on her back. "What are you thinking of?" He asked, his voice low, his eyes on her. She almost blushed.

"You." She answered honestly this time, there was no point in hiding. 

"Me?" He smiled that idiotic smile again and she couldn't help but smile back. "What about me?"

"Well, I was thinking that your critical analysis of the Lord of the Rings trilogy deserves to be published." She joked but he didn't buy it. She could melt with the way he was looking at her. She has. "I missed you."

James let out a breath he'd been holding, his metal fingers tucking a strand of her hair behind her ears. "I missed you too."

"We should do this more often."

"What? Get naked together?" A smirk was on his lips.

"Yeah, _that._ " She traced her thumb along his bottom lip, her eyes concentrating on the action to distract herself from his eyes. "And I mean, you know, just slow down for a bit. We've been living our lives too fast."

"That's only because people are usually chasing us."He was right. She can't remember a time when her life wasn't her job. Maybe when she was younger, but those were only brief moments and even then she didn't feel particularly relaxed. 

Natasha shifted so that she could rest her head on his chest, her arm draping over him. He held her in place, breathing her in. She probably smelled like the vanilla body wash they used. "Well, now that _we're_ doing the chasing maybe we can bide our time."

"Maybe Barton was onto something with the farm thing." 

"Maybe. But you'd hate it. Too much of a city boy to live on a farm."

"I don't know, I mean, I can definitely chop wood and all that stuff."

"Sure, James."

"What? I can do it. I'll also cook and clean. You wouldn't even have to do anything. You just have to be there."

"On a farm? I'm never living on a farm."

"Well, you know, we never know. Did you watch that movie where the world was dying and they all had to resort to farming?"

"That sounds like a horrible movie."

"I fell asleep halfway through it."

"See? Horrible."

"The point is, I'm willing to live on a farm if it meant being with you."

Natasha rolled on top of him then, sitting up, a smile on her face. "James, are you proposing right now?"

His mouth made a shape that's somewhere in between a square and a laugh. "Natalia, if I were to propose it wouldn't be after sex."

"But that's the perfect time to propose." Natasha dipped her head and gave him a lingering kiss then, her smile never leaving her.

"Do you want me to?" 

"No. I love you though." That was the first time she's said it. It was way overdue.

It was then that he smiled, really smiled too. She felt a fluttering in her chest when he sat up and reconnected their lips. "I love you too."

"Should we get dinner?"

"Probably, but I don't mind just being here." She felt his hands on her ass and in one swift motion, she was underneath him. He was predictable like that. " _Slow down_ , and all of that."

"You're such an idiot."

His lips were already on her neck and making their way to her jaw, her mouth. She was about to hook a leg onto his waist so that she could flip them over again when their phones started ringing. James collapsed on top of her, groaning against her neck as she tried to reach for her phone. He did the same with his.

"It's Hill."

"Steve." He said after taking a peek.

"Duty calls." 

James rolled off of her and answered his call. She did the same on her side of the bed. They were needed at the facility up state. Some sort of thing was happening concerning national security, the usual. 

"I guess we're getting drive thru." Natasha's already up and trying to put some clothes on while James was still in bed, watching her get dressed.

"Please not McDonalds."

"We can have whatever you want, sweetheart. But you gotta get up." She's already managed to put some pants on and was balancing between trying to hook her bra and collecting clothes from his bag to throw at him.

"We can be late."

"You know we can't."

"I wish we can."

"Me too."

But they were never late. They were the world's best assassins. They were nothing if not efficient and efficiency didn't allow tardiness. Maybe they'll get more than just a day of down time someday, but with their luck it wasn't likely. Still, Natasha felt satisfied with the results of this day off. When they walked into the Avengers facility _together_ with take-out from McDonalds (they didn't pass by anything else, much to James' disapproval) everyone grew quiet. The silence was only broken when Sam stood up and yelled "I knew it!" and then proceeded to collect twenty dollars from everyone in the room.

She didn't mind.

This wasn't the Red Room.

This was her family.


End file.
